Copyright Rick Riordan
Love Percy
What to get your girlfriend for Christmas? That's always a difficult question to answer. However when said girlfriend is Annabeth Chase the question is harder. Because Annabeth Chase was his best-friend, she had been searching for him for months when he had been missing, and when she finally found him they had walked through the deepest most dangerous pits of hell together. Not to forget that her mother didn't exactly approve of their relationship and her mother was an all-powerful Greek goddess fully capable of making his life a lot harder than it already was.
Percy Jackson was Christmas shopping, in New York, a week before Christmas. He wished he had thought of it earlier, because now he only had a day before Annabeth was leaving for San Francisco. She was going to spend her holiday with her father. He was happy for her, of course, but he'd wish she had stayed with him instead. This was the first time she was going away since they walked out the Doors of Death together. Just thinking about it made him sick and he had to tell himself that they were no longer in Tartarus and that Annabeth was safe. Or as save as a demigod can ever be.
His first idea was to go to FAO Schwarz, New York's most famous toy store. He remembered watching "Big" late one night with Annabeth and how she begged to go visit the giant toy piano the day after. To two of them had been dancing like children. It felt so good to be giggling and laughing with her again. They had never really had time to be childish together. Now the store was filled with kids and adults and toys. He even found a dance mat like the big piano Annabeth had fallen in love with it, and planned on buying it until he found the price-tag. Percy also found a collection of adorable stuffed animals, but maybe Annabeth was a little old for a teddy-bear. Among the animals he found a stuffed Nemo, which he almost bought for himself. Just when he was leaving he found a tiny Snow Globe with two figures inside it. A blonde girl and a black haired boy, it was perfect. Annabeth could bring a little snow with her to California, as well as a little of them. Alright it might be a little cheesy, but maybe they deserved a little cheesy.
He found his second present in a drug store. He saw a couple of gingerbread houses in some windows, which reminded him that his girlfriend was an architect. The perfect present would of course be gingerbread dough and powdered sugar so Annabeth could design her own gingerbread house. His face was a wide grin for hours after coming up with that idea. He considered buying some sort of recipe on how to make gingerbread houses but figured Annabeth could just see it as an insult.
He wrapped his presents with a blue wrapping paper and inside of the gingerbread-present he left a note. "Dear Annabeth, I was hoping you would make a gingerbread house with this and take a picture of it and send it to me? I'm sure your gingerbread house will be that best in history. Love Percy" His presents was covered in tape, since his wrapping skills was limited. But they did have a card each taped to them as well. Each of them signed "Love Percy".
She showed up at their door with a green scarf wrapped around her neck and curls with tiny melting snowflakes in it. Annabeth's nose was red, just as her cheeks and Percy would've leaned in to kiss her if her arms had not already been filled with presents. "It's snowing!" She smiled as she struggled to get her boots off without using her hands. "Here, let me take those." Percy extended his arms and took the tower of presents from her. "Thank you!" After he sat them down he felt Annabeth's arms surround him from behind. She was still wearing mittens when she turned him around, put her mitten-covered hands on each side of his face and planted a kiss on his lips.
They would've continued kissing if they had not heard someone cough behind them. "Eh, hello Annabeth." Paul was standing behind them, wearing one of his stupid Christmas jumpers, and holding a tray with gingerbread-men on it. "Oh hi Paul, Merry Christmas!" He nodded "Well thanks the same." Percy could see that Annabeth's cheeks were no longer only red because of the cold, and he suspected his cheeks was much the same.
The four of them, Percy, Annabeth, Paul and Sally, sat together in their living room with a cup of hot chocolate each. "So Annabeth you're leaving tomorrow?" She nodded. "Well you won't get much snow in California will you?" Annabeth laughed. "It did just snow in Egypt so you can never say never. But how about you, how will you celebrate Christmas Eve?" Sally took a sip of her cup before answering. "We have invited everyone really, so it will be crowded. Piper has traditions with her dad, and Nico wouldn't come at first but we changed his mind. Hazel, Frank and Jason are coming here too. Tyson is even bringing his girlfriend, Ella that's her name right?" Both Annabeth and Percy nodded. "And Annabeth, I really hope not all of those presents are for Percy because I've seen what he is giving to you and I'm afraid that's less than what you're giving to him." Annabeth laughed and Percy still felt like her laugh was a miracle. It was a sign that she was alive, and that she was okay. "Oh no, it's for everyone celebrating here. But I'm afraid Percy is getting the best present."
Wednesday the 18th of December Percy hurried down the stairs from his apartment while clutching his phone. He and Annabeth had said goodbye and Merry Christmas the day before, but she had just called to inform him that she was stopping her cab outside his apartment building for a last goodbye. Just as he sprinted out of the doors, in his socks and pyjamas no less, he saw a yellow New York cab stop before him. A girl wearing a grey coat and a red hat and hid her messy curls came out of it. It was five in the morning in New York and two teenagers met in a kiss on the street while snow fell slowly around them. "Nice outfit! I'm sorry if I woke you up; I just needed to make sure you'd survive Christmas without me." "What if I say I won't, will that make you stay?" She giggled "You're hopeless Percy Jackson." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "And I love you." "I love you too Annabeth."
They hold on to each other for a while. Sometimes kissing, lips, noses and cheeks, sometimes hugging and sometimes just looking into the others eyes while holding their hand. Not letting go until the cabdriver shouted that he was tired of waiting and wondered if she wanted to make it to her plane or not. They kissed for one last time while Percy was shaking of cold, turns out pyjamas is not the best thing to wear when you kiss your girlfriend goodbye in the middle of the night. When she entered the cab he bent down to the window and said: "By the way Annabeth, the biggest present? You can open that before Christmas; I actually think that would be best." She nodded. "Okay you dork, go back to sleep now. Merry Christmas!" "Promise to call me when you're there!" As the cab drove away into the night he could hear her shout: "I promise!" Just like that she was gone, and he was left like a freezing fool in his flannel pyjamas knowing that he would spend most of the day waiting for her call.
AN: Happy Holidays everyone! I know the timeline isn't quite right, but bear with me okay? I also have this headcanon that Paul wears ugly Christmas sweaters and that Percy makes fun of him, but that Sally thinks he's super cute. So Merry Christmas and whatever else you may be celebrating and a very happy New Year!